Lists! by KCB

KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family!


My fingers are flying so fast I barely touch the keys. My heart is filled with the excitement of a school girl with a crush! The announcer on the radio is grandstanding yet another winter storm. I can not be bothered with the threat of a parking ban; I am much too light hearted. I did something today I rarely do. I made a list.

We all have been subject to lists; top 10 lists, grocery list, to do lists for our selves, chores lists for our children. Sometimes we’ve said or been told, ‘you’re on my list’ (good or bad--chances are you’ve been on a list ). Personally I keep countless lists in my head. It is the only way I know I won’t lose them because anytime I put a list to paper, it disappears in the abyss of the black hole of my desk. Today I chose to do something different; I entered the list in my very own 2008 Garden Journal. Perhaps you should too.

Why a list? Because it is time to go shopping. Skillin’s Falmouth Open House is this weekend. I look forward to this event the same way some of my friends embrace the shopping craze on the day after Thanksgiving. That may be the start of the Christmas Season; this may very well be the start of the Gardening Season.

Recently I compared gardening to sports. Various sports have a definitive start to their season, gardening doesn’t. Well, not really. Can you remember the Monday after the ‘Patriots Day Storm’? It was 85 degrees, the day my season started and it didn’t end until mid-November. I wasn’t quite ready. This year I vow to be.

My first step through the Skillin’s door shouts of spring, plants, gardens, color and warmth. It definitely can put you on Gardening overload so it is best to be prepared.

Like any good shopping spree make note of what you would like to or must purchase, i.e. the list. First, did you do your homework from last week? Such as check your tools?

Even if you haven’t had a moment to find a place to sharpen your tools look at them, perhaps they are beyond repair. It is best to list those tools you would like to replace. Alternatively, maybe there is something you have always wanted yet the only time it comes to mind is when you actually need it. There are so many great time and body saving instruments. Ergonomics has become a trend with many manufacturers.

Along the lines of tools, consider knee pads, gardening gloves, tote bags, and ‘holsters’ (as I call them) for your hand pruners. Gloves are such an important accessory that is best to have more than one pair. In fact you may want different pairs depending on chore. I have Rose Gloves, mud gloves, thin yet sturdy flexible gloves which I use for weeding and creating container gardens.

After you have checked your tools, check your ‘supplements’. Hollytone is certainly on my list. A perfect combination for all acid loving plants, azaleas, Rhododendrons, dogwood, laurels. Early to Mid-spring is a great time for feeding. For those who desire blue blooms on their hydrangeas, this product is also for you. A spring feeding helps get this perennial favorite a good beginning. Espoma makes a variety of excellent plant foods, so you may find yourself taking home more than one food.

Roses also get my attention early in the season. There are several products that I rely on. One of my favorites comes from a company primarily known for their Aspirin. Their ‘All-in-one Rose & Flower Care’ does it all. I prefer utilizing systemic granules versus sprays.

Another product I now keep on hand, Messenger, a fairly new product, is a harpin protein designed to suppress diseases and promote better blooms. It is not a fertilizer, more like a tonic. I have used it on Peony and Roses with favorable results. Incredible, really.

It doesn’t hurt to have at the ready, a bag or 2 of soil amendments. I always have a bag of Coast of Maine Penobscot Blend or Jolly Gardener’s Tree & Shrub mix in my truck. I do not plant/transplant anything without integrating some of these wonderful mixes in with my soil. Each manufacturer offers a variety of soil amendments. From time to time I have used at least one of the other products depending on the need of the garden. Throughout the gardening season no doubt you will find me dropping a name or two.

With all the choices for foods, fertilizers, and pest controls; organic and not so organic it is always best to read the label before purchasing and always before application. When in doubt or in need of further information, the Skillin’s staff are always willing to help.


What’s left to purchase? Remember the journal? So many pretty ones are just waiting, look for a cover of soft pastel roses or bold energizing stripes.


A Skillin’s Open House without a plethora of seeds including all the assorted accoutrements would not be well, a Skillin’s Spring Open House. Now or at least very soon is the time to start your seeds. This not being one of my strong points I will leave the particulars for those in the know. Nevertheless, do not be surprised if you find me reading a seed envelope or two. So much valuable information on such a small envelope, it does make for light reading. Besides, I find the pictures miniature works of art.


Before I leave you, there is one more item of note I would like to mention. Spring Bonds. When I first became a gardener I received a gift of one as a late Valentine’s gift. The giver remembered how many things I wanted after my visit to Skillin’s, He went back and purchased just one. It was enough. The next year we made it our purpose to purchase as many as our limited budget would allow. The cost savings was ‘money in the bank’ for new homeowners with a fledgling garden. When it was time to purchase our plants, our Spring Bonds were at the ready.

So, if you do not find all the items you want during the open house, purchase bonds for when the items are available or use them to purchase your annuals, perennials and other ornamentals. In addition, they make excellent gifts. Mother’s, Father’s Day anyone!

Well, I must go shovel out my truck. See you this weekend at the Skillin’s Falmouth Open House!